A field trip to a nature center can be a highlight of the school year. For children with special educational needs and disabilities, though, long walks, noise and unfamiliar routines can get in the way. This study asked what one large outdoor learning provider does to help these children take part, and where it falls short.
The researchers interviewed four learning staff, including three learning managers, at three wetland centers run by WWT. WWT is a UK conservation charity whose centers welcome about 50,000 schoolchildren a year. The researchers used Universal Design for Learning as their guide. This approach means planning sessions from the start to offer several ways for children to engage, take in information and show what they have learned.
What they found:
- Useful supports existed, but unevenly. All three centers offered routes with less walking for children with mobility needs, and hearing loops for deaf and hard-of-hearing children. Beyond that, provision varied. One center gave blind children feathers and model beaks to learn about birds by touch. It also sent schools a pre-visit pack: a guide, a map, a short video and a "social story", which is a simple story that walks a child through what will happen. On site, this center used picture cards that children could point to, visual timetables and illustrated activity instructions. Another center had nothing set up specifically for autistic children.
- Staff relied on schools for information, and often didn't get it. All centers asked about children's needs on booking forms. One center also held pre-visit calls with teachers to agree which activities would suit the class. But staff at all three centers said teachers often gave vague answers or left that section blank.
- Staff adapted well, but training was patchy. Staff kept noise down, chose hands-on activities such as den building, and sent volunteers with groups needing extra help. Only one center's staff had related training, in Makaton (a system of simple signs and symbols) and in guiding blind visitors. A staff member there described whole classes signing "good morning" back to her in Makaton.
- Some needs were hard to meet at a nature site. Some centers opened quiet rooms, and one ran calmer, smaller pond-dipping sessions on Saturdays for autistic children. But sensory triggers were hard to remove. Geese waiting at a door terrified one autistic boy, and staff couldn't easily switch off loud hand dryers. Staff also wanted to support children without separating them from their classmates.
After the study, all WWT centers adopted pre-visit guides and social stories. All learning managers completed training in supporting children with special educational needs, including Makaton.
What this means for your practice
These ideas come from the researchers' recommendations, which follow from the findings above.
- Build supports into every session. Schools often shared little about children's needs. So the researchers recommend designing sessions from the start to work for a wide range of children, rather than adapting only when a need is flagged in advance.
- Offer several ways to take in information and show learning. The supports staff valued, such as objects to touch, hearing loops and picture instructions, gave children different ways to take in information. Centers offered few ways for children to show what they had learned. The researchers suggest options such as drawing, photography or creative projects alongside question-and-answer.
- Prepare children before the visit, and share what works. The researchers recommend sharing preparation materials across sites, such as pre-visit guides, social stories and picture-based communication aids. One center's pre-visit pack is an example of what staff valued. The study did not measure how these materials affected children's visits.
- Train the whole team consistently. Training varied between centers, so the researchers recommend training for all staff and volunteers, so that every child meets the same level of support.
- Make quiet spaces standard. Staff already opened empty rooms when children needed calm. The researchers recommend offering quiet spaces and flexible ways to take part at every visit.
The Bottom Line
The researchers interviewed four learning staff at three wetland centers about how they support visiting children with special educational needs and disabilities. Staff already used a range of supports, including routes with less walking, hearing loops, objects to touch, picture-based communication aids and materials that prepared children before a visit. However, these supports and staff training varied widely between centers. Staff depended on schools to tell them about children's needs, and schools often shared little. Some sensory challenges, such as noise and wildlife, were hard to remove at a nature site. The researchers recommend designing every session from the start for a wide range of needs, training all staff and offering quiet spaces as standard. After the study, the charity extended resources and training to all its centers.